Staff Sgt. Joshua Fox, right, Tactical Assault Command team Platoon Leader with Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center, talks with a fellow team member prior to a mission May 4 at Camp Taji, Iraq. The TAC team provides security and communications for the battalion command team as they travel to different locations to attend meetings in support of their advise, train, and assist mission under Operation New Dawn. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. William K. Ermatinger, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C)

Story by: Spc. William K. Ermatinger

BAGHDAD–Soldiers with the Tactical Assault Command team with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center have a critical mission to escort the battalion command team throughout Baghdad.

The TAC team, which assembled in July 2010, is comprised of exceptional soldiers nominated from each company shortly before the unit’s deployment in support of Operation New Dawn.

“We were put together and within four days we were out in the field and able to go beyond the expectation of the battalion commander himself,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Fox, TAC Platoon Leader with HHC and a Denton, Texas native. “We were able to maneuver and control our elements well and now have become proficient since we have been here.”

Escorting the command team entails taking them wherever they may need to go to conduct the meetings necessary to facilitate the battalion’s overall mission to advise, train, and assist their Iraqi partners.

“We also do troop visits, which gives the command team the opportunity to see and talk with their junior soldiers, as well as communicate with their company-level leadership,” said Fox.
Moreover, the TAC team also has the ability to provide more than just the usual security element.

“A PSD is personal security detachment, but the TAC actually has the capability to be a TOC [Tactical Operations Center] when we roll out into sector,” said Fox “The battalion command team can still lead and command from our vehicle.”

Since arriving to Iraq, the TAC team has continually improved their internal tactics, techniques, and procedures which have enabled them to better accomplish their mission.

“From the more experienced NCOs down to the junior guys who are on their first deployment, this is a quality group of soldiers who have worked and trained hard to be the best at what they do,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Evans, senior enlisted advisor with 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt. and a Columbia, S.C., native.